The present invention relates to the electrical, electronic and computer arts, and more specifically, to virtual universes.
A VU (virtual universe) is a computer-implemented simulation intended for its users to traverse, inhabit, and interact through the use of avatars. Many VUs are represented using 3-D graphics and landscapes, and are populated by many thousands of users, known as “residents.” VUs (virtual universes) are traversed by such methods as walking, flying, and teleporting. A teleport provides a mechanism to travel rapidly from one location in a VU to another location, even if the locations are geographically far apart. In typical virtual universes, an invitation for teleporting may be received that is an offer to transport the recipient from a recipient's current location to a second location. A user may reject or accept the offer for teleporting. If the user accepts the offer, for example by selecting the invitation presented as words on the VU GUI, the user's avatar is then transported from the current location to the second location. In practical terms, teleportation refers to the “re-rendering” of an avatar in a different environment. This re-rendering may occur on the same processor within the same simulation engine; it may occur on a different processor within the same simulation engine; on the same processor with a different simulation engine; or a different processor with a different simulation engine.